US Burns Cautions Israel, Syria against Escalation

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs William Burns has called on Syria and Israel to
"avoid actions which escalate tensions."

In an October 5
interview with Abu Dhabi Television, Burns said, "Syria and
Israel should both avoid actions which escalate tensions,
because ... this is an extremely complicated time in the
region."

Burns acknowledged that the administration has
persistent doubts regarding Syria's commitment to
eliminating terrorism. He noted that Secretary of State
Colin Powell outlined several specific issues in his meeting
with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad last May.

"Syria's
support for various Palestinian terrorist groups as well as
some of its actions regarding Iraq since that time have
fallen short of those points which Secretary Powell laid out
very clearly," Burns asserted.

The assistant secretary
also highlighted the administration's concerns with regard
to Israeli and Palestinian actions in the context of the
Roadmap.

With regard to the security fence Israel is
erecting, Burns stated, "we've made very clear our concerns
about construction which tends to incur further and further
into the West Bank, construction which in our view,
prejudges the outcome of future permanent status
negotiations and more broadly than that, reduces the hope of
Palestinians that an independent viable Palestinian state is
going to emerge in the future."

Burns also underscored the
importance for the new Palestinian government to deal with
security issues "to ensure that there is only one authority
for Palestinians." Burns conveyed the administration's hope
that the new government will show its commitment to the
Roadmap "not as a favor to the United States or anyone else,
but in the self-interest of Palestinians to move ahead in
the direction of the two-state vision which President Bush
has laid out."

"I think what remains clear is that it is
deeply in the self-interest of Palestinians and Israelis
alike, to see progress resumed towards a two state solution,
because that solution contains the best basis providing the
security and the acceptance that Israelis need and deserve,
and the dignity and the statehood that Palestinians need and
deserve," Burns stated.

Following is a transcript of
Burns' interview with Abu Dhabi TV:

(begin
transcript)

Transcript of Interview of Assistant Secretary
of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns with Abu
Dhabi TV, October 5, 2003

Q.: About the bombings of
the camp in Syria, aren't you concerned this can lead to a
regional confrontation that might target Syria and
Iraq?

A/S Burns: We are still sifting through the details
of what happened today. The United States has made very
clear our concern about Syrian support for various violent
extremist groups and its harboring of those kind of groups.
At this point, what I would say is that Syria and Israel
should both avoid actions which escalate tensions, because
as you said, this is an extremely complicated time in the
region. It is in the interest of the United States and all
of its friends in the region to try and find ways to avoid
further complicating the situation.

Q. What should the
Syrians do meet the American standard?

A/S Burns: There
is no secret about the concerns we have raised with the
government of Syria. Secretary Powell met with President
Assad last May and outlined a range of concerns about our
relationship with Syria and different aspects of Syrian
behavior. He made clear at the same time that the U.S.
remains committed to comprehensive peace and to resumption
of negotiations on the Syrian-Israeli track. Syria's support
for various Palestinian terrorist groups as well as some of
its actions regarding Iraq since that time have fallen short
of those points which Secretary Powell laid out very
clearly. So we do have some clear differences with Syria and
we have tried to be very direct in explaining our concerns
to the Syrian government and explaining the kinds of
behavior which we hope to see.

Q: Abu Ala is expected to
present the new Palestinian government to the Parliament
today. Are you going to back these governments?

A/S Burns:
Well, the issue is very clearly their commitment to the new
Palestinian government, to implementation of the road map,
and to discharging responsibilities and obligations which
will be in the interest of Palestinians. And they have to
deal with security issues, and most importantly, how the
Palestinian security services are organized according to the
Roadmap, to make clear their strong commitment to ensure
that there's only one authority for Palestinians, and that's
critically important. The Roadmap also lays out obligations
for Israel as well, and it is very important that both sides
perform their obligations. But as we look at the formation
of the new Palestinian government, we're going to be
concerned first and foremost about the commitment of that
government to implement the Roadmap and to fulfill
Palestinian obligations, again, not as a favor to the United
States or anyone else, but in the self-interest of
Palestinians to move ahead in the direction of the two-state
vision which President Bush has laid out.

Q: When we ask
Palestinians who are officials, they say, we're expecting
the Americans to say to Israel, "enough is enough". Events
may trigger bloodshed in the region and may be a stumbling
block against all these hopes.

A/S Burns: Well we've made
very clear, the United States Administration has our
concerns about the course of this operation, the fence, and
we've made very clear our concerns about construction which
tends to incur further and further into the West Bank,
construction which in our view, prejudges the outcome of
future permanent status negotiations and more broadly than
that, reduces the hope of Palestinians that an independent
viable Palestinian state is going to emerge in the future,
and so we've made no secret of those concerns. We're
engaged, and I'm going into quite serious discussions with
the Israeli government about these concerns.

Q: You say
that Arafat should go, aren't you concerned that this may
distance you from the support of many Arabs and Arab
governments that think for the moment that, yes, Arafat is
still a living symbol of the Palestinian people?

A/S
Burns: Well, what we've very clear is our commitment to help
Palestinians, not only to achieve the goal of the viable
independent Palestinian state using the Roadmap as a way of
getting from here to there, but also helping Palestinians to
build strong political institutions in preparation for
statehood, institutions that don't depend on any one person,
and so what we've tried to focus on, and it's what
Palestinians are as capable of as anybody I know in this
region, and that's building those institutions, drawing
strength from all the skills Palestinians have to offer, and
not focusing on any one person at all.

Q: Last summer the
prospects of peace were very high in the region, and you
were very hopeful you may be able to put the peace process
on track again. Now the region's much more chaotic than
ever; the region is in bloodshed. Do you think that your
mission's going to be very complicated?

A/S Burns: Well
there's no doubt that the situation is extremely
complicated. None of us had any illusions, whether it was at
the summit in Sharm al-Sheikh or any time since then, about
how difficult the situation was. I think what remains clear
is that it is deeply in the self-interest of Palestinians
and Israelis alike, to see progress resumed towards a two
state solution, because that solution contains the best
basis providing the security and the acceptance that
Israelis need and deserve, and the dignity and the statehood
that Palestinians need and deserve. And it remains the
commitment of President Bush and all of us in the American
Administration, to work hard toward that goal. As I said, we
have no illusions about how difficult the task is going to
be before us, but the alternatives are much much worse, and
so we are determined to try with a very real sense of hope
and adopt the Roadmap, and to try and remind people of
what's at stake here.

Q: Many Palestinians and Israelis
have a sense of disappointment in the Roadmap. Do you have
any fresh ideas, or do you think we just stay in operation
within the same framework of the draft you presented last
time?

A/S Burns: No, we'd like to try and make the Roadmap
a reality, a living reality, and as President Bush has said,
the Roadmap is still a great map; there is no doubt about
that. I don't believe it's dead. I don't believe that there
are a lot of other solutions that people are offering now.
And I think that what's important for us to do, is to remind
both sides, Palestinians as well as Israelis, of their
obligations, but also of their self-interest in resuming
progress along the lines of the Roadmap towards a two state
vision, and that's what we're determined to do everything we
can to achieve, working with our partners in the quartet as
well as with our friends in the region. Because we
understand very clearly the centrality of the Palestinian
issue in the minds and emotions and the interests of the
people in this region, and it's very important to American
interests as well as the interests of others, and to try and
move ahead in a more hopeful direction.

Q: Do you think
that when we wake up on a day in 2005 there will be a
Palestinian state?

A/S Burns: I'm still very hopeful, and
I still realize that the United States is going to have to
do everything it can to help make that a reality, to help
make tangible progress in that direction.

Q: Thank you
very much indeed.

A/S Burns: Thanks.

Further
Questions from Al-Sharq Al-Awsat:

Q: inaudible

A/S
Burns: Well I had an opportunity to talk in the Emirates
about a whole range of issues, our bilateral relationship
which is very strong and I think, growing stronger. We
certainly talked about the situation in Iraq as well as the
Palestinian/Israeli issue. I again underscored the
importance the United States attaches to the very important
humanitarian contributions that the United Arab Emirates and
Sheikh Zayed himself in particular have made, both for
Palestinians as well as for the Iraqi people, and expressed
on behalf of the United States, our determination to move
ahead in Iraq in a direction that's going to restore full
authority to Iraqis just as quickly as we possibly can.

Q:
Did you ask the people here to support the participation of
multinational forces in Iraq? I mean, do they have any
commitment to participate?

A/S Burns: Well, we had a broad
discussion about Iraq, and I think the United Arab Emirates
has done an enormous amount in supporting the Iraqi people
and the interests of Iraqis in ensuring a stable, unified,
prosperous Iraq. There are many very concrete contributions
that the Emirates has already made as I said, in the
humanitarian area in terms of their future commitment to
economic reconstruction, and in a number of other areas, so
I think we'll continue these conversations and look forward
to continuing to cooperate.

Q: How would you face the
people here who are against the kind of escalation in Iraq?
How do you value the position of these people in the
Emirates and the other countries in the area?

A/S Burns:
In terms of?

Q: Escalation.

A/S Burns: Well I think our
commitment is obviously to help stabilize the situation in
Iraq, to help ensure security for Iraqis, and that's why
we're trying to train Iraqi police forces just as quickly as
we can. And we're also interested, very much in helping to
restore basic services for Iraqis, electricity, water, and
we're making progress in that direction. And as I said, at
the same time, we're committed to helping Iraqis set up a
political process that's going to bring about the elected
fully sovereign government that Iraqis deserve.

Q: Did the
Emirates make any commitment to --- in the Madrid
conference?

A/S Burns: Well, we, as I said, very much
appreciate the role that the United Arab Emirates has played
as helping to organize as a member of the core group of the
Madrid Donors Conference, and we see that conference as one
step in a very important process to help solicit
international contributions to help Iraqis rebuild their
economy.

Q: Do you expect any contribution from the United
Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia?

A/S Burns: Well, the
Emirates have already contributed as I said in a lot of
important ways, and I'm certain that they will continue to
again, in the interests of the Iraqi people, and I'm
confident that others in the region will as well. As I said,
I think that Madrid is one step in what is going to be an
ongoing process to help the Iraqi people. Thank you very
much.

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